Suspicion of 'racist' thinking on Roma expulsions
The Czech Republic’s foreign minister on Saturday condemned France’s expulsion of Roma Gypsies and said he could not avoid the suspicion that ‘racist’ thinking played a part in the policy.
"The way in which the President (Nicolas Sarkozy of France) is expelling Romanian citizens is contrary to the spirit of European Union rules," said Karel Schwarzenberg, writing in the Prague daily Lidove Noviny.
"One cannot avoid the suspicion that racist viewpoints are playing a role in this," he said.
The minister also criticised the way in which the debate on the issue was being held "without the new countries" of the EU, including the Czech Republic.
"To have a debate without the countries where this problem most probably has its roots is a bizarre and erroneous idea," he said.
In the latest deportations, France on Thursday sent nearly 300 Roma back to Romania.
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